We're One Family It's Complicated
by MissPoe
Summary: Regina decides to adopt when a fire accident leaves a little girl without any family. Will jealousy get in the way of another happy ending? Whose the cause: Henry, Emma, David or Snow? Swan Queen eventually.
1. We got you

A/N before Henry gets taken to Neverland

I had been a long day at the sheriff's office when they got the call from Ruby. Apparently both Ruby and Archie had been taking Pongo on a walk when they saw the flames already alight on one of the apartment building not far from their own home.

Emma could hear Archie in the background calling for the Ambulance and some onlookers had called the fire department already but hadn't done much else to assist.

With a sprint out the door, Emma and David had gone to offer their assistance and hopefully keep order to what was expected to be chaos.

As soon as they arrived on scene Emma knew even before she unlocked the door that she could have tune out the whole world if she wanted to. She knew Ruby, and her face told a thousand words; some people had already died.

Past Ruby and Archie the sheriff could see bodies, dead bodies, being carried out amongst those lucky few who had survived. Onlookers were still staring at the burning building, staying back from the flames but otherwise not much help.

David had run straight from the patrol car as they exited the vehicle, giving orders about where to put those living before the firemen ran back in and giving reassuring words to anyone who needed them that help as on its way.

Snow and Regina had surprisingly come at the same time not long after the sheriff arrived with Henry in tow. Emma would have questioned it more if a loud cry hadn't shot through her consciousness.

Without hesitation, something she had obviously got from her father, Emma rushed out from where she was still standing by the patrol car and raced past the crowd. Her only thought was on saving the owner of that scream, a scream that sounded distinctly like a frightened little girl.

In the back of her mind, Emma could hear their voices; Henry's and her parents telling her to wait and to let the firemen do their jobs. But this was her job now wasn't it? To save lives of anyone who needed help when people were too afraid to stand up and save another life.

Judging by the way she rushed past the flames, Emma guessed it was.

Emma found the owner of the scream moments later, hiding under her bed, eyes rimmed with unshed tears. The wall to Emma's right was burning with a fire so fierce that she knew that there had to have been a point of origin not too far away. The sheriff could also see a pyjama clad foot peeking out from under the bad and tangled amongst a blanket.

Emma couldn't remember much after that. She didn't' remember getting to the girl or their way down to the crowd outside. She could only remember the girl. The little girl that seemed scared out of her mind, hiding under her blanket with a Superman doll clutched in her hands.

Emma clutched the girl tighter.

Henry brought her back to the present, bank to earth.

He was the first to approach as he flung his body at her and wrapped them in a hug. A hug that made her all too aware of how close she had come to possibly not being around for him if she hadn't moved so quickly to get out. Emma gave a sigh of relief and inhaled the scent of the little girl's apple shampoo as she tucked her head back under Emma's chin.

Emma's moment of content was soon interrupted as a paramedic attempted to pull both children away from her.

That was a moment Emma will never forget.

Not because she could smell the ash and the dead body odour that was slightly masked by the apple shampoo. Not because her parents had also chosen that exact moment to approach her as well, as they tried to look her over for any injuries. And it almost definitely wasn't because her eyes had fluttered open and found Regina's staring back at her with a look of warmth, compassion and relief.

No it wasn't any of those things, because those things could be rationalised and Emma as still in her moment of not being rational by any means.

Emma had felt fear. Pure, unbiased fear.

What was running through her mind at that exact moment was every psychologist's birthday wish: something entirely different.

Emma's mind had thought of the one thing that she was more worried about, more than Regina being consumed by dark magic again or Cora coming back from the dead.

She was afraid someone was going to take her children.

Being afraid that someone was going to take her son away was something she could understand, but the girl wasn't hers. And the feeling didn't leave her as she started to realise that the girl should probably get cleaned and checked over before the night was over.

As the paramedic finally untangled the trio, Emma could see the reason why she felt that she was somehow connected to the little girl she had never met. Emma could see a smaller version of herself staring straight back with bright blue eyes. The girl's long blonde curls cascading past her blue blanket, her pink Supergirl pyjamas sticking out from under it as her doll was pulled closer to her body and she rattled a noise of protest.

Emma shakes her head as the girl was taken away, allowing all thoughts to come spiralling back as she focused on Snow's face.

Emma could hear the voices clearer now, no longer distant.

David was still giving orders about what to do with the dead, while running a hand over her back. Emma knew that he was trying to be soothing, but she didn't need that right now. She needed something else, someone else.

And that's when she looked up to the spot she had just seen Regina. Although she wasn't standing there now. Archie and Ruby were still there, they had been with the former mayor since she had arrived. But the shrink and the wolf were no longer talking to each other; instead they were choosing to look at the Ambulance where Regina and the paramedic sat with the little girl.

Emma couldn't help the way her nerves dropped all sense of fear that they were riddled with only moments ago. Now they felt warm and had a sense of contentment at the sight. The girl was sitting in Regina's lap making a disgruntled face as the paramedic tried to clean her up. She could practically feel Regina's laugh as the girl tried to turn away from the paramedic. And the feeling was only amplified as she felt Henry hold on to her tighter.

For his part, Henry had seen the look on his adoptive mother's face as she ran her hands though the little girl's hair in an effort to sooth. He knew that face, which was the face she usually wore when it involved him when he was younger.

Henry briefly wondered if he was being replaced. Quickly as the thought came it was gone. His adoptive mother loved him; he knew that now without question. So Henry hugged his birth mother tighter and was grateful that his brunette mother had someone else to fuss over, even if it was for just a little while.

A/N please let me know what you think so far, I'll update depending on that.


	2. Finding home

No foster care system had been put in place in Storybrooke. There had been no need, unless you count Ava and Nicholas Zimmer's situation last year.

Now Emma was once again put in charge of finding a child a home. She had originally wanted to bring the little girl home with her but Snow had pointed out the issue of space in their tiny apartment.

A few other residents who were there that night had offered the girl a bed, but they weren't a good fit. Some had too many children as it was, some seemed a bit off and some even told her that the child cold sleep on their floor. They wouldn't do.

Ruby had even offered her a place to sleep on Granny's behalf, but it was wolf's time as David had pointed out. Maybe Ruby wasn't for the best. And they couldn't turn to Archie; the man was going to be her therapist by morning anyways.

Emma was conflicted; she knew Regina was a god fit if she couldn't bring the girl in herself. But Snow had said no and that wasn't an argument she wanted to have in front of the five year old and half the town.

Blue had offered the girl a place to stay until they found her a family. Snow seemed enthralled by the idea so Emma handed the girl over once the paramedics were done with her. Emma had agreed, all the while thinking that in the ideal world she would have a loving new family within days.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

They had been fighting for the last two hours since the sun had risen the following morning. Well it appeared that they were fighting. It truth, Emma was agreeing with everything Regina was saying but she couldn't vocalise it.

For Regina's part she was aware that Emma was in fact agreeing with her, but something was holding her back, namely her mother. It was written in the guilty look on her face, and in the way her shoulders sagged that much more when she mentioned the girl needing a new family.

It was then that Henry walked in with David and Snow in tow, ready for David's shift to begin.

Henry couldn't see the issue either, the girl was homeless and without a family. His mother had spare rooms, she wanted the girl there and they even got along from what he could tell. It seemed rather logical to him. He may have had to push his spark of jealousy aside, but he did side with Regina. Both verbally and physically.

Regina gave her son a small squeeze and smiled down to him. He was beginning to be more accepting of her in the last few days, which is what made her so happy.

Emma was beginning to waver, but with Snow now in the room her chances of brining the girl home with her seemed to fade.

Emma continued to sit at her desk, giving actual thought to her response. Regina was a good candidate, but the girl was with someone else at the moment and she wasn't sure if taking her away now was for the best.

The group was soon distracted as the office line rang out, cutting off any further argument. Which was good considered Snow was about to voice an opinion.

"Sheriff's department, Emma speaking" she greeted, too chipper for her usual tone and seemingly grateful for an interruption. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the other occupants of the room.

A few nods of her head, a small grunt and the narrowing of her eyes was all it took for David to pick up Emma's things and have them at the ready. However, he was a bit shocked when she slammed the phone down. Snow even jumped a little from the harshness to it.

Regina and Henry on the other hand, had barely flinches. Both were well aware of Emma's temperament when she was annoyed by anyone with a pulse.

"What's wrong?" Snow asked, cautiously walking towards her daughter.

"Blue" was all Emma grunted, grabbing her things from her father. Before she stormed out she added; "I'm bringing her home"

No one else dared to follow, no was sure who she was talking to or if she was directing her words to anyone. They all remained standing, a little chocked and confused.

David took a seat after a few minutes at his own desk. "Time for work" he commented to his wife.

Regina rolled her eyes.

For her part, Snow wondered what went wrong. Mother Superior was usually good with kids, well the good ones at least.

"I guess I should head off then," Regina said, cutting through everyone's individual thoughts. "Henry I will see you tomorrow for lunch?" she asked, grabbing her bag from Emma's desk.

She was trying, they could all see it. It even brought a smile to Snow's face, something she would deny and only done in secret. She was invested in Regina turning good after all, even though she wouldn't admit it, not right now anyways.

Henry decided to do something for his mother in return; "Actually I was wondering if I could spend the day with you. I'm sure Emma would be okay with it"

"Sounds good to me," David jumped in, before his wife could say anything. "Have fun," he added with a smile as he proceeded to scoot them out the doors.

Briefly he wondered if he saw gratitude from Regina, something he hadn't seen since Emma and Snow had been sucked back into the Enchanted Forrest. The look was gone as quickly as it appeared, and with that mother and son were gone.

"What was that?" Snow asked. She wasn't displeased with the idea, but as David turned around he wasn't so sure that he question wasn't a trap.

"I thought they deserved some family time," he answered with a shrug. David smiled as he wrapped his wife in a hug and felt her nod against his chest.

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN

Regina and Henry were still picking out a movie when they heard a knock at the door. As she stood to answer, Regina wondered who was going to steal away her happy moment with her son.

Emma steam-rolled past her as soon as the door was open. She had completely given up on the umbrella at this point.

Regina smiled at the sight before her; Emma stood in the entry way with a backpack on her shoulder and the little girl perched on her hip.

Tuning into Emma's rant, Reina couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied. "-so that means she's yours." Regina wasn't sure what the blonde had said before this but it didn't seem to matter.

Regina gave a genuine happy smile, causing both Emma and the little girl to smile in return with similar facial expressions.

"Why's Henry here?" Emma cut through her thoughts. For a moment Regina herself had forgotten everything but that exact moment.

Henry approached with DVD in hand, after hearing his name. "Grandpa said it was fine," he told Emma with a firm told. Turning to his adoptive mother he added; "How about this one? It's child friendly" he gestured to the box cover with Despicable Me on it.

Regina gave a nod as the little girl smiled, wiggled her way down to the floor and stood by Emma's side, hand-in-hand.

As Emma set the backpack and umbrella down near the door, Regina bent down to be eye level with the little girl. "Hello," she greeted, remembering not to scare the child away. It had been so long since she was this child friendly with anyone who wasn't her son.

"Hi," she responds, still keeping hold of Emma's hand.

"Would you and Miss Swan be interested in joining us for a movie?" Regina questioned.

The former mayor knew that she didn't need to invite the blonde to stay; she hadn't been intending to share her son with anyone today. But this seemed alright with her, a family day inside as the rain continued on outside. Emma wasn't stealing away her happy day, but she seemed to adding people to it and Regina didn't seem to mind.

With a small nod, the little girl let go of Emma's hand and took Henry's outstretched hand.

"I'm Henry," the by greeted for the first time as he smiled down at her.

"Audrey," she acknowledged, keeping a close eye on him as he set the DVD into the tray.

"You sure?" Emma questioned from their position in the doorway. Putting her hands in her pockets, Emma was slightly put off as her son started to talk with his new friend. The girl had barely said more than two words to her since she arrived at Blue's house.

Cutting her off from her thoughts, Regina nudged the Sheriff and motioned for her to follow. Regina told the kids that they were going to bring snacks as Emma trailed behind.

"What was Blue's excuse for not having her anymore?" Regina asked, pulling down glasses from the cabinet. She was curious to the fairy's motives, but smirked as Emma automatically began to help her with the snacks.

Emma laughed as she recalled the events to Regina.

After hearing the tale, Regina felt somewhat satisfied that the little girl had put the fairy in her place. She might not condone kicking the woman, but Blue always was a bit nasty towards Astrid. And apparently Audrey had taken it upon herself to let all the other fairy's know.

Walking to the living room with snacks in hand, the duo stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them. Henry sat with Audrey in his lap as h told her about Pongo. It seemed that he was attempting to put her at ease about her first visit with Archie tomorrow.

Emma felt a little jealous at the sight. Her son had barely known the girl for more than fifteen minutes and they already seemed to have bonded. Emma herself had spent a total of eight hours with the girl and they didn't appear to have bonded as much.

How could they have not bonded? Emma had rescued her from a burning building. The girl had even pointed at her with a smile and called her the white knight.

"Emma?" Henry questioned, his mother seemed to still be stuck in her daze. He looked towards Regina, who had already set the snack down on the coffee table, and was getting comfortable next to them.

Emma smiled at the sight.

Henry and Audrey were sitting in the middle, well actually she was still sitting on him, but Regina was on one side and they had made room for her to fit on Henry's other side.

Shaking her thoughts away, Emma was ready to spend some quality time with her much complicated little family. And as she got comfortable in her position, the movie starting to play in front of them, Emma was determined to have this family bond. She even hoped that maybe one day they could actually present as a united front, but that was another thought for another time.


	3. Apart of a family

It turned out to be a good day despite the weather outside as the four occupants had spent their day watching family movies.

Emma for her part had grown more comfortable I the home as the day wore on. And by nightfall she had even grown more confortable with the company she was keeping; laughing with Henry, teasing Regina and getting hugs from Audrey. Regina had followed a similar path to the savior, although she had spent less time getting the sheriff angry than she would actually admit.

Sitting around cartons of take out from grannies, all four occupants had begun to wind down for the night as the final movie came to a close.

By this stage Regina was sitting in the armchair about to get ready to pack up the mess. As she looked around the room she noticed that Henry had taken up the entire length of the couch, which had forced the other occupants to retreat to other pieces of furniture earlier in the movie. Emma was sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, Audrey laying flat on torso as she tried to blink back sleep.

Regina let a small smile grace her lips as she looked at the sight of her 'family'. Soon she was broken out of her thoughts.

"I think it's time for bed" the Sheriff announced from her spot. Emma bundled the little girl in her arms when she refused to move, grumbling in protest from Emma's movements.

From his place on the couch Henry gave a smile at the pair. There his mother was standing in front of him; her hair slightly mused from the days events and her demeanor slightly frayed as Audrey squirmed in place. He had to give the little girl credit though, she had wriggled and pushed and grumbled until she realized that she was firmly held in place at Emma's hip. A from set on her face as she turned to look at her captor. It didn't last long as Emma turned to face her with a smile causing the little girl to smile in response.

He had thought the moment was soon to be over as Regina got up from her seat and walked closer to the pair, a few empty cartons in hand.

Planting a kiss on Audrey's head, Regina went to move past them. Both Emma and Henry rose an eyebrow as she walked out of the room. Turning to look at the boy, both mother and son could only shrug at the changes in the former mayor's behavior today.

"Bedtime," Emma spoke softly to the bundle in her arms. Emma couldn't help the contented feeling as the little girl put her head down on Emma's shoulder and let out a sign before nodding her agreement to the previously horrible notion.

Henry let out a laugh as she slowly got up from the couch, looking around for his jacket as his mother walked back into the room.

Regina couldn't help the disappointed feeling in the pit of her stomach as she noticed what he was looking for. "Your jacket is at the door," she told him, smiling thought the feeling as he went to give her a hug goodnight.

Emma couldn't handle the sight in front of her and the feelings she was experiencing for the first time since her childhood; the feeling of actually being apart of a family.

How could she say goodnight and take her son away when he clearly wanted to stay? How could she take him away from his mother again? It didn't feel right this time. She would be damned if she would be the cause of their little family being broken before it had time to join together first.

She had felt it with her parents once she gave them a chance once they figured out who they were and who she was. But there were moments she had spent with just Henry when she had felt the feeling more strongly. The situation with Henry in the mine was the first time she had truly felt it and again when she went to fight the dragon in the library. But this was more. This was more than just her son and his adoptive mother. This was their son and potential daughter with the former mayor, and that meant more to her at this point.

"Actually, I was hoping we could spend the night if you don't mind Madam Mayor," Emma commented, readjusting the little girl on her hip as she started to dose off.

"Well it is rather late for you to drive back," Regina agreed, smiling her thanks to the blond who nodded in response. "What do you think?" she asked, unsure if her son wanted to spend the night back home after all this time.

Henry hugged his mother tighter to him, "sure" he commented, trying to downplay his excitement at the idea. "Can we have pancakes in the morning? It will be Sunday and I didn't make any plans"

Regina could only nod her agreement. Her son had gone from not wanting to live at home and spend any time with her to wanting to spend time with her on occasion. Now here he was, wanting to spend the entire weekend with her. Maybe it was just breakfast, but Regina was sure that he would convince Emma to stay till at least dinner time.

"Your things are still in your room," Regina offered, gently pushing her son towards the stairs.

Taking a step back, Henry looked at the ground sheepishly before speaking to his mother. "I have grown a bit since then; Emma had to get me some new clothes".

A moment of guilt registered before Regina brushed it away. Of course she had noticed that he had grown in her absence. She had noticed all the little changes in him since her left home and gone to live with his birth mother.

Henry felt a bit guilty, not because he had grown, he was actually rather proud about that. No he felt guilty, because he wasn't around for his adoptive mother to do the shopping with him. Regina was better at that type of stuff than Emma anyways. He learnt that when they came home and Snow told them off because the fabric wasn't good enough and would become yuck after some washes. That was when he started to realize what type of job the former mayor had done in raising him; she had made sure he was healthy and didn't get a tummy ache from the food he was eating, and she made sure his clothes would last more than a few washes. That's when he decided to make more of an effort, he was a good son, a good student and would turn out to be a good man. That's what everyone always told him, and that was thanks to Regina, but they never mentioned that part.

"I know," Regina muttered, braking them both out of their respective thoughts. "I've added some things you might like to your wardrobe" and with that she moved back into the lounge room to finish packing up for the night.

"I'll take Audrey upstairs to the spare room, come help when you're done?" Emma asked quietly as Henry started to climb the stairs.

As she started to walk away, Regina called back; "Oh wait, I had started to get a room ready for her. Its right next to Henry's room"

Emma nodded her head as she walked away. Climbing the stairs after her son, the Sheriff quickly found the room. Nothing much had been done to it yet but there were a few toys on the bed and clothes in the closet. Emma quickly placed the girl on the bed, already seconds away from sleep, and changed her into a nightgown with Snow White on the front. Emma couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Regina actually buying this for the little girl.

"I thought you may have liked it," Regina commented, leaning on the doorway to the room. Henry could be heard in the bathroom, getting himself ready for the night.

"Just incase she went home with me instead?" Emma asked, feeling slightly guilty at her earlier thoughts of taking her to the apartment instead of bringing her to the mansion.

Regina nodded, finally coming into the room once the Sheriff was done.

It was a silent process from there as Regina started to help Emma with the nightly task. The duo worked well as a team, finding it easier to carryout the task now that they had found some middle ground since the other night. From there they walked into Henry's room, saying their goodnights as he finally tucked himself in.

As they finally finished what had begun to feel like routine, both parted ways.

Regina noticed that Emma was going down the stairs she called her to a halt. Swiftly grabbing some bedtime clothes, the former mayor handed them over to the Sheriff and pointed to the other spare room at the end of the hall.


	4. Musings of grandparents

A/N Just wanted to send a massive thank-you to ObsessedwithOnce for all the help with producing this chapter and the following. I have added two chapters tonight just to make up for the lack of updating recently. Please let me know your thoughts and enjoy.

Standing side by side in their kitchen, David and Snow were dressed up more than they had originally planned to when Emma told them who was coming to dinner. Emma had come home and actually handed her father a new blue polo shirt to wear for the evening and also told him to wear his black dress pants if he wanted to eat with them.

Snow silently dismissed her daughter for her own sake as Emma attempted to tell her what to wear. Snow was a Queen after all and always knew what to wear. Unfortunately Emma did not agree with her original choice and they spent three hours looking inside her wardrobe. Finally settling on a white dress and heels, Emma allowed Snow to leave the room and help with dinner.

Snow could not believe her eyes as she helped her husband chop some vegetables and immediately became lost within her own musings.

Emma had spent the majority of the afternoon rushing around their tiny apartment cleaning and putting things away. This was definitely not something Snow was accustomed to seeing during the entire time they had lived together. Normally, her daughter would walk through the door and toss her jacket on the couch or bed and not move it again until she was ready to go out. Emma usually got dressed in her room with the door partially bolted shut and Snow rolled her eyes at the notion that Emma was even remotely interested in another human being.

Currently, Emma was racing from one room to the next as well as attempting to get dressed and fix her hair all at the same time. Though, at random times she would stand completely still in the hallway for a few moments with a smile on her face before suddenly turning to Henry and telling him to change or fix his hair. Snow knew exactly where her daughter was at all times in the tiny apartment as Emma continually stomped across the floors in her loud heels as she rushed back and forth. Although Snow really didn't need to listen for those sounds as the sounds of things dropping to the ground and Emma swearing at various objects provided a better hint.

At times, Emma really did have it out for their various appliances. At the mere thought of that, Snow quietly moved the new toaster underneath the cupboard and out of sight just in case and continued the preparations as she reached down to put the vegetables in the oven.

If all of this happening right now had been a year ago when they were simply just friends, Snow would have thought Emma was trying too hard to impress their dinner guests. She would have laughed at the sight and even teased her just a bit, reassuring her that the "then Mayor" already knew her so she didn't have to try so hard.

But they weren't just friends anymore. Emma was her daughter now and she had no idea how to react to this current situation.

Part of her was happy at the idea that Emma was getting out there and trying to find someone to share her life with. But another part of her, a major part of her, was saddened by whom her daughter had chosen to court.

Snow knew that her step-mother deserved happiness and if she really thought about that fact, it was the one thing she had always wanted to give Regina herself. But a million things had gone wrong in the meantime which prevented Snow from forming the relationship with Regina that she always wanted. Snow had even confessed to Charming a few nights ago that she felt jealous of Henry's relationship with Regina.

It was a horrible and selfish thought she knew, but she couldn't shake it at times.

The reality of this situation was that she was Regina's first child, not biologically of course, but the woman did raise her for a part of her life. It was the harshness of the fact that Regina never saw her that way, the fact that no one acknowledged it or understood that Snow was the first person to ever truly love her. Charming told her that he understood how she felt but Snow knew he couldn't completely understand it.

Last night Snow had even spoken to Henry about it. The conversation had been light as she told him the truth. She was extremely grateful that he understood and wasn't upset with her. She was even a little surprised that he felt the same way towards Audrey at first, until the other night.

Snow shook those thoughts away as she suddenly saw her husband get his hands slapped away as Emma reached to fix the collar on his shirt.

Wearing what was once Regina's blue silk dress shirt along with black pants and heels with her hair falling down her back in silky, loose curls, Emma was definitely out to impress tonight.

"Dinner almost ready?" she asked, completely anxious as she attempted to reach towards David's collar again.

"Emma, enough," David said calmly, taking her by the arms and sitting her down on the bench. "My shirt is fine and we are all dressed properly." At her exasperated huff he continued, "It's just Regina and she has seen you a million times and knows us all pretty well sweetheart." He couldn't help but chuckle at his daughter's antics, obviously finding them more amusing than his wife did.

David knew Emma was attempting to impress their former enemy and her…well, he wasn't entirely sure what to call the little girl at the present moment. Was she Regina's daughter? No, they hadn't even processed any papers yet. Emma would have told him if there were papers to be signed. Was she considered Henry's sister? The boy seemed to think so. He had sprinted up the stairs yesterday evening to tell them that his 'little sister' was coming to dinner. David liked the idea of Audrey being Henry's sister more than the thought of her not being a part of their slightly mixed-up family tree.

According to Henry she fit in well enough when he went back home to visit and that was good enough for him. David supposed it would do them all some good, adding another member to their family. Henry was a bit too old to be fussed over like his wife wanted to. And they had always wanted another chance to raise Emma. He knew the little girl wasn't theirs to take in. Emma had made that perfectly clear after Henry had gone to bed. But they could offer to help raise the little girl couldn't they? They were pretty much her grandparents too, right?

And what about Regina? Was he really ready to welcome her into the family with open arms? David thought about it for a moment, thinking about the former mayor's relationships with each member of his family.

The stories Snow shared of her childhood allowed him to become all too aware of her love for the woman and the betrayal it cost her. He supposed that if the two of them were able to patch things up, then he was more than happy to welcome his step-mother-in-law back into the fold.

With Henry it was easier. Regina was his adoptive mother. End of story.

But the relationship between Emma and Regina?

David pushed the complicated thought away as Emma suddenly let out a small whine as she brushed Henry's hair back for the millionth time. Imitating his grandfather, the boy slapped her fussing hands away and he ducked out of range. Snow didn't even get a chance to scold her daughter's behavior as Emma made a move towards running after Henry as their doorbell suddenly rang.

All four occupants froze in place.

It wasn't until Emma started moving each one of them around the apartment that they noticed how badly she was attempting to impress the visitors as she called out to them that she was coming. Snow and David were moved to opposite sides of the kitchen and Henry was moved to the armchair before Emma quickly glanced around the apartment, smoothed down her shirt and opened the door.


	5. Extended family dinner

Regina let out a long breath of air as she unbuckled herself and turned to get out of the car. She then took her time in reaching across the driver's seat and unbuckling Audrey's seat belt. This was not something she was overly pleased about doing but she couldn't help and smile at the little girl before her. The past couple of hours had been extremely eventful to say the least.

As soon as Henry and Emma had left the Mansion the afternoon before, the little girl had come up with a million and one questions. Some of the answers came easily for Regina, such as when she was asked; 'How come Henry has brown hair like you but Emma is blonde like me?' or 'do you know where Snow White lives?' after she bopped along to a Taylor Swift song.

There were other questions Regina had to brush off because she didn't even know where to start answering them. She really hoped Audrey would ask someone some embarrassing questions tonight, simply to keep things entertaining.

As Regina waited for Emma to open the door, the former mayor couldn't help but think of one of the questions she had failed to answer; 'if Henry has two mommies then how come they don't live here together?' Audrey was definitely observant, to say the least. Most of her questions seemed to revolve around Henry, but the occasional ones, the ones that made her blush and her mouth gape open; those were about her relationship with the town's Sheriff.

Not that Regina and Emma had any sort of real relationship to begin with. Well, technically they did, but it was too complicated to explain to a child. It was even too difficult to explain to anyone who existed outside of her own mind.

"Hi, come in!" Emma looked relieved and extremely happy to see them as she waved them both in.

As soon as she and Audrey walked through the front door Regina knew that something was up. Snow and David were standing still as stone statues in the kitchen and looked slightly panicked. Henry looked as though he wasn't sure if anyone was allowed to move.

Letting out a slightly nervous chuckle when no one appeared to move or speak, Emma decided to make the introductions to the little girl who had never actually met Snow or David. "Hey sweetheart," she said as she approached from behind Regina and planted a kiss on top of Audrey's head. "This is my mom and dad" she added, pointing to the duo in the kitchen.

"Hi" Snow beamed towards the little girl when she turned to look at them.

She looked so much like Emma did in her childhood pictures, but the outfit she wore topped it off. Audrey wore a pair of ballet shoes, a white princess t-shirt and a blue tulle skirt that was hidden under a blue leather jacket and she had a head full of loose blonde curls.

The resemblance to her daughter was uncanny.

"Again with the princess clothing, huh?" Emma snorted as Regina placed her on the ground.

"She chose it herself while shopping today," Regina shrugged the comment aside as she was helped out of her own jacket by Emma.

The clothes were definitely not the type that she would have chosen for the little girl herself but the entire ordeal of shopping for clothes and having an embarrassing conversation with a six year was enough for Regina to agree to any clothes just to be able to leave the store. What was it that Audrey had asked that morning? 'Why is the man with the limp flirting with the book lady? Doesn't he know that she only smiles at the lady in red?' Regina had never seen so many heads snap up and look over at her at once. The six other women in the store had found it very amusing but the former mayor definitely did not. Especially when Audrey kept pointing to Mr. Gold and Belle, who were just outside the store.

"Sure," Emma said coyly as she pushed them further into the living room after taking their jackets.

"Can we move now?" David asked from his spot in the kitchen, still slightly unsure of what he should do. The timer had gone off but he wanted to be absolutely sure. The last thing he needed was to find out if his daughter's temper matched his wife's. David shuttered at that thought.

Blushing and looking down at the ground, Emma gave a nod as Regina slightly raised her right eyebrow. Regina watched as each occupant slowly and visibly relaxed in their respective spots.

It would appear as though she wasn't the only one out to impress tonight, as she moved further into the apartment to greet her son. Regina wore a black dress and heels but seemed to go the extra mile tonight by styling her hair in ringlets. Something she had a very difficult time with as she struggled to keep the curls in place. She also had to keep the tiny hands from pulling the curls each and every time Audrey approached her.

"Hey mom," Henry greeted, finally moving towards her for a hug. His white polo shirt settled over his knee length black pants nicely, Regina noticed and admitted to herself. After taking him shopping with Emma that morning, his birth mother was actually starting to get the knack of picking out good clothes for him.

"Hello sweetheart," she greeted in return, hugging her son close to her chest before she greeted his grandparents. She sincerely hoped that there would not be any drama tonight during dinner.

"Well dinner is ready, how about we take a seat and start our night?" Snow asked the surrounding occupants of the tiny apartment. She couldn't help but feel a small moment of giddiness as Regina brought the girl closer to the table and bent down to whisper in the girl's ear.

After a bob of her head, Audrey had approached Snow with a smile and held out her hand for Snow to shake. "I'm Audrey" the girl greeted before taking a step back and smashing into the side of Henry's leg and hugging him close. Henry for his part looked incredibly proud as he gave her a side-long hug back.

"I'm Snow," she replayed, "are you ready to eat?"

Another bob of her head and Henry pulled out a chair for Audrey to sit on and then proceeded to help her up onto it. Of course, the seat was right next to him.

"I'm David," Charming greeted as he walked in with a platter of meat in front of him and a smile on his face.

Snow still couldn't help the giddy feeling. She was sitting between her husband on her left and her daughter on her right. Next to Emma, at the head of the table, sat Regina, followed by Henry across from her daughter and Audrey between the boys.

"Audrey, are you okay there?" Regina asked, always making sure she felt comfortable.

Henry felt slightly guilty as he really did not think about where she was sitting. He figured that she was safe next to his grandpa without giving much thought to the fact that they had just met. Henry let out a deep sigh of relief as she gave a nod and a smile at David.

Dinner went by rather smoothly after that.

After a few glasses of wine, the adults seemed to grow comfortable with each other being in the same room. Regina and Snow had even shared a few childhood stories that didn't involve them hating each other.

The children, however, were a different story. They had walked away from the table a little over an hour prior and no one had heard anything from them since. Regina was starting to become concerned. When Emma and Henry had stayed for breakfast the other morning, she could barely get the kids to leave them alone.

"I'm just going to check in on the kids," Regina stated, as she pushed her chair out and gestured towards Emma's room. Patting the Sheriff on the shoulder as she passed her, Regina was unsure if she wanted to venture off alone towards Emma's room. David offered to join her and she gladly accepted. She definitely found his presence more comforting as the night drew on.

With the situation as it was now, maybe things would turn around and maybe she could have had a good relationship with Snow's husband. They were still family after all, right? Shaking her head, Regina simply wondered to herself if she had been spending too much time with Emma.

Standing slightly behind David and to his right, Regina leaned on the door frame once he opened the door. Inside the room, both occupants were curled up sound asleep amongst a pile of pillows and blankets while the TV continued to play the movie in the background.

Definitely siblings, David mused to himself as he looked down at them before switching off the TV. He was worried that the pair would wake from the lack of noise, but calmed down as the two kids just snuggled further into the blankets.

Regina herself thought it looked like a scene from Aladdin that she watched with Henry when he was younger. Piles of pillows surrounded the two of them, yet they only occupied a small portion of the room on the bed.

A/N: once again I would like to thank ObsessedwithOnce for all the help with producing this chapter. Please let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions feel free to inbox me and the suggestion will work its way into the story.


	6. Defining the word

Emma had read over twenty articles telling her the same thing; an adopted child needs to bond with their immediate and external family. They also told her that the 'parent' would need to define the 'family unit' they were being brought into.

Regina had yet to broach the topic of adoption with her, considering she had to sign off on the paperwork and such, and that seemed to unsettle the Sheriff. Yet she knew it was only a matter of time for the conversation to occur. She could see the affection and bond between Regina and Audrey grow in a matter of hours and days.

So if Audrey ad already developed a bond with Regina as her mother figure and Henry as her brother, then who was next in line?

The sheriff wanted to be the other parent in this particular scenario, but that wasn't her decision as yet. That was up to her son and his adoptive mother. Part of it was up to the little girl, but Emma knew if she got Regina to agree then everything else would set into place. And that's probably why she had arranged to have lunch with the former mayor and the little girl while Henry was at school.

However, when they walked into the station other things had taken preference to more 'family bonding'. Regina had walked into her office hand-in-hand with the little girl. For a moment it seemed as though nothing was wrong, but then she noticed it. She knew her co-parent all too well.

Offering to take Audrey out for lunch so Regina could have some alone time seemed to be an easy battle. Emma knew something was wrong, something more.

Regina never gave up that easily, and especially not to her.

Being down on her knees, the brunette hugged the girl close. "You're going to have lunch with Emma okay?" Regina asked, moving away to wipe a tear from the girls face. "What's wrong sweetheart?" she added. She already felt guilty enough for leaving the girl for a few hours. How was she supposed to send her to school the following week?

"Are you coming back?"

"Oh honey, of course," Regina cried, wrapping the girl into another hug. Pulling away she continued, "I just need to visit Archie for a little bit and Emma was so excited to have lunch with you that I didn't want to change her plans"

"We can have lunch when you come back," the sheriff suggested, disappointed that the lunch was already not going to plan.

Brushing the sheriff off, Regina said her goodbyes and promised to come back.

Standing side-by-side, the two blondes never looked so completely at a loss. Emma was the first to break her sombre thoughts, offering the dinner as a lunch place. With a bop of the head the duo were off.

As they sat down at her favourite booth, Emma wondered if this was her moment to bond with the little girl. Yes, that's exactly was she was going to do at lunch.

Before she could ask any questions Ruby came by.

"Hey there gorgeous, what can I get you and the sheriff?" Ruby asked, already smitten with the tiny blonde who had her face buried in the menu despite the fact that she couldn't read. At least she had it the right way up.

For a moment, Emma entertained the thought that her best friend was going to smother the little girl with kisses. The woman seriously needed to start reproducing if this was going to keep up. Her eyes were already shouting; smitten.

"Ruby!" the girl exclaimed, turning to look up at their table guest with a smile.

Ruby for her part seemed a bit started, having never met the little girl before. The girl's parents had defiantly kept their little bundle away from the town as it was.

Ever the curious one, Emma had to ask. "Audrey do you know Ruby?" It took less than a second for her to feel like a complete idiot judging by the look she was receiving from her miniature.

"No" and that one word confirmed it.

Emma groaned. Way to impress the five year old. "Then how do you know her name?" still curious as ever.

"Gina told me," Audrey shrugged as though it wasn't news and went back to 'reading' the menu.

"Regina told you my name?" with a bop of the head, Ruby continued her questioning; "why?"

Ruby was curious as to why Regina would mention her to the little girl. She never had a friendly relationship with the former mayor before the curse broke, but at times it felt as though it was on the border of such a term. But after they got their memories back? Part of Ruby knew that she would have forgiven Regina sooner if it wasn't for her friendship with Snow. And right now, if she wasn't such good friends with the princess, Ruby thinks she may want to get to know the former queen better. For Henry and Emma's sake of course.

Giving what could only be defined as a classic Regina eye roll, the little girl put the menu aside and looked at the pair with a huff. "I had questions and Gina said it wasn't polite to call you the lady in red" she explained before placing an order of pancakes.

A few minutes later and Emma wondered if she was going to be in hot water.

Audrey had asked her a million questions about the people in the diner and the sheriff's parents. The girl may have only met them last night, but Emma was sure that no one else in town was that observant after one visit. The sheriff wondered if the girl had any magical abilities. Maybe she should ask Regina when she dropped her off later.

Right now though, Emma had wound up attempting to explain what a family was and why Audrey was in hers. She had also mentioned her parents, Henry, Regina and a few other people but that was beside the point. Right now Emma was using crayons to make her point.

As she walked in she could see Audrey attempting to cut her pancakes while Emma sprawled across the table with crayons and a long piece of paper. "What exactly are you doing Miss Swan?" Regina asked, coming to stand beside the booth.

The expressions 'deer caught in the headlights' and 'hand in the cookie jar' was never better placed than in this exact moment.

"She's drawing Gina," the little girl piped up, moving to sit on the brunette's lap as the former queen sat down next to her.

Regina was a little started at the level of comfort she was being showed in public. It had been a long while since Henry had done something so natural like this without thinking.

"I'm trying to draw Audrey's new family" Emma huffed, brushing away the excess pastel as she gazed at the finished result.

"Her new family?" Regina raised an eyebrow. A bob of mass curls assaulted the former mayor's vision and she agreed with the sheriff. "Okay, let me see" Regina smirked at the pair.

"See this is you and Audrey near the mansion-"

"Who drew the house? It looks like a castle" Regina laughed, trying to hide her smile behind the little girl. They were starting to draw attention from the other patrons.

"I drew it," Emma huffed.

"Why?" Regina chuckled.

"Queen's live in castles Gina," Audrey added, finally getting on the same page as the older blonde. It had taken a few hours, but she was finally starting to understand the concept Emma was trying her hardest to explain.

Although Emma had spent ten minutes prior to Regina walking in by explaining the reason for the castle and heart above it, she felt like some of it was understood. Emma had even attempted to explain that the heart meant that they shared a home and life together but that didn't really work out. Audrey had asked a million questions as a result, most of them wondering why Henry and Emma weren't associated with that part of the picture just yet.

Emma groaned at the memory, and was then pulled out of her thoughts.

"And you are a Queen," Emma started matter-of-factly as she smirked at the brunette. With a wave to continue, Emma further elaborated on her picture. "This is Henry at the stables and this is me and Dad at the station-"

"Emma did you draw the entire town?" the brunette exclaimed finally looking at the big drawing in detail. Had she really gone to all that trouble to explain to Audrey? Regina was starting to feel something in the pit of her belly again, the same feeling she had when the four of them had their movie day.

Regina was driven from her thoughts by Emma's simple answer; yes.

"And that's Snow at the school, right Emma?" Audrey asked, shoving the final pancake piece in her mouth. Coloured sprinkles scattered the table, as Regina cleaned around them.

"Right" Emma grinned at the little girl.

"And who are those people?" Regina asked, whipping the little girls hands with a napkin.

"Ruby, Belle and Granny" Audrey replied around a mouthful.

"Mouth closed" Regina scolded, as she threw the napkin down on the empty plate. Emma smirked again at the pair, grateful that the little girl finally understood who those 'extra people' were.

"Why are we in the drawing?" Ruby asked, as she came to the table to gather the empty plates.

Emma glanced around the waitress, finally noticing that all eyes and ears were waiting on her to respond. People in the town really were too much in each other's lives. How should she continue with this? It was one thing to explain to a child but another to add people to your family tree without them thinking that you just added people for the sake of it. And she for one didn't want them thinking that Regina was just an 'extra person' she added.

"Cause Emma says you're my aunt," Audrey stated, not quite noticing the eyes on Emma. "Gina I'm done, can we go see Henry now?" the little girl asked, batting her eyelashes, slightly doubtful that she would be granted her every wish and desire.

She need not have worried. Regina smiled down at the little girl.

"Well okay then," Ruby agreed, placing the plates down on the counter before approaching the new 'family' unit. "How about a goodbye hug for your aunt?" the waitress asked, kneeling in front of Regina with her arms open.

Once again surprised that the girl was so enthusiastic about her mere presence. Ruby smiled as she hugged the little girl closer.

Ruby couldn't wait to tell Belle that she was an aunt too.


	7. Aunt Adventure

A/N: So basically I'm just wanted to bring in a few more characters before getting back to the original plot line. Let me know what you think.

Regina tried to convince herself that she didn't have much of a choice as she quickly pushed open the library doors with Audrey's hand in hers.

Kathryn had called her less than an hour ago and said she wanted to talk. It had been quite a while since she had someone she actually considered a "friend" and the blonde woman had simply expressed that she was ready to give their friendship another shot. And if there was one thing Regina had learned in the past few days, it was that people seemed to be willing to give her a second chance.

Regina smiled down at the little girl as they both waited patiently at the front desk. Kathryn was the real reason behind most people in town willing to give Regina another chance and she was determined not to mess up their friendship again.

"Regina?" Belle questioned, coming towards the pair with a stack of books loaded in her arms.

"Hello Mrs French," Regina greeted in return, sincerely hoping that the nicer she was, the easier this request would be to ask of Belle.

It wasn't that she didn't want Audrey with her when she met with Kathryn, but she was looking for some adult time in case the blonde wasn't as welcoming as she was hoping for.

Regina had called Emma first thing that morning but David was out sick from work so there was no one to cover for her at the station. Henry and Snow were both in school. And, yes it was just a little bit surprising that the former mayor had even considered her once-step-daughter as a possibility to look after Audrey. Even Ruby had to work and wasn't available.

Now, Regina's only option left was the librarian. It was a huge favour that she required of Belle and that meant Regina would have to metaphorically extend an olive branch and be as nice and charming as possible during the conversation with the librarian. Also Audrey had seemed very comfortable with the idea when Regina first mentioned it.

Regina silently cursed Emma and the Family Map she made the day before in the Diner.

"Hello!" Audrey greeted Belle, drawing the attention to her as she continued to swing Regina's hand around by her side.

Luckily for the pair, Ruby had already told Belle all about the Sheriff's family map and Belle's status on it. Belle had felt truly touched. She felt as though she was really a part of something that was totally outside of Rumple's hold over her. She felt much more connected with her new friends now.

After Regina politely explained her situation, Belle assured the former mayor that she would be happy to take care of Audrey for a few hours.

Belle and Audrey decided to walk through the park and feed the ducks after closing the library doors for the day. Coming across a park bench near the lake, Belle settled the packet of bread on the bench and helped Audrey to roll up her sleeves.

"Hey Audrey," the brunette called out to her as she made her way closer to the lake. As the little girl looked up and followed her closer to the lake, bread in hand, Belle continued. "Look at that pretty tree over there" she pointed to a nearby tree littered with leaves full of shades of orange and green.

"Lots of pretty colours," Audrey agreed, smiling as she finally came to stand next Belle. "Oh look at the tiny ones!" she excitedly exclaimed pointing to the approaching ducklings.

"Little baby ducklings," Belle smiled, bending down to help the little girl pull the bread apart in the bag.

"I like that little duckling," Audrey commented as she pointed to the second duckling that approached. "That's your favourite too," she mused, throwing a few pieces of bread in the general direction of the ducklings.

Belle chuckled at the presumption; but she did like that little one though. "And how do you know that?" she asked, poking the little girl in the tummy and earning her a cascade of giggles.

"It's got red in her like Aunt Ruby," was the sombre reply after the giggles ceased and she resumed her previous task of feeding the ducklings.

Belle had to agree with her logic there.

As the two walked away from the lake the librarian couldn't help but chuckle at the sight when she turned around. Three baby ducklings had decided to follow the pair. As Belle and Audrey paused and looked down, the favourite duckling suddenly stopped too.

"I think they like you Audrey," Belle commented.

"Tell them not to follow us Aunt Belle," Audrey said as she suddenly reached for the brunette's outstretched hand. "They have to go back to their mommies or they will get lost," she added.

"And their daddies too?" Belle asked. She had observed that the little girl had made no mention of a family during their time together to insinuate a nuclear family setting. As Audrey appeared to become a bit frightened when one of the ducklings decided to pull on her shoelaces, Belle was quickly brought out of her thoughts and decided that it was best to drop the subject.

Not a moment later after the ducklings had lost interest and went back into the lake, Belle and Audrey were walking and swinging their hands wildly around as they made their way towards the exit. Belle couldn't help but laugh along with the little girl as they made their way out through the gates of the park.

On a more personal note, Belle couldn't quite understand how the little girl had melded into her heart so quickly. And she was sure she was not alone with that feeling. She just knew that the others in town felt exactly the same way.

Smiling down at the mass of blonde curls as Audrey tried to explain 'Finding Nemo' to her Aunt, Belle couldn't help but think that the girl was a lot like the little clown fish. They had both lost their parents and were in a brave new world making new life-long friends. Belle smiled again at that thought.

"Hey, Nemo!" Belle called to Audrey, cutting the girl off mid ramble about bubbles. After a bright smile appeared on the little girl's face, the librarian continued; "How about we have some lunch after our special adventure?"

After an enthusiastic nod of curls, Audrey responded in turn; "Let's have another special adventure real soon Aunt Belle."

The librarian's heart simply swelled at the idea. Belle ruffled Audrey's hair and pulled the girl closer to her as they neared Granny's.

Belle was officially in love with her new found role from the Family Map that Emma had drawn.


	8. Overwhelmed

A/N: I would like to thanks the wonderful ObsessedwithOnce for all the help and guidance I needed in writing each chapter. To everyone else, please let me know what you think, and again if there's anything that comes to mind that you want to happen please let me know. Otherwise please enjoy this new chapter.

Emma quickly pulled her hair back and away from her face and into a hairband as she walked down the street with Archie. Both were deeply immersed in their conversation.

She had gone to see him to discuss her problematic bonding issues with Audrey. Emma wanted to feel like a mother to the little girl, but wasn't sure how to go about acting like it. Motherhood was much easier with Henry as he wanted her around him all the time. Luckily for Emma, Archie had some valuable advice for her.

After a few more minutes of walking and talking with Archie, Emma suddenly stopped in her tracks at the sight occurring right in front of her eyes.

It was all Emma could do to continue standing as she suddenly felt a stabbing pain race through her chest as she unhappily watched Belle and Audrey enter the diner for lunch, hand in hand and smiles on their faces.

Archie's words replayed through her mind about Audrey and the delicate process of incorporating her into their 'family'.

"_Audrey has experienced the loss of her first real family. She is not brand new to the world. You two do not really know each other. Try to stay in close proximity to her. Establish a routine. Establish yourself as a mom. Avoid too many new people." _

None of those words were helping Emma now with that nagging feeling like she wasn't trying hard enough. Like she wouldn't have the type of relationship with Audrey that she really wanted.

Wasn't she supposed to be the one receiving those looks of love and warmth that were now emanating from Audrey towards Belle? How were Archie's suggestions supposed to help her now? Had her 'family tree' idea backfired on her? Had Regina and Emma exposed her to too many new people before they truly bonded with her first?

As Archie attempted to help Emma get her breathing under control and sit down on the curb, he quickly called out to someone but she couldn't hear anything he said. Emma could only see out of the corner of her eye that he had waved someone over.

Emma was spared her terrified thoughts that it may have been her parents that Archie had called out to as she heard the unmistakable clicking of heels on the pavement as the person approached. Emma briefly heard a second pair of heels approach as well but those didn't matter to her. The first pair would certainly be her undoing.

"Emma?" Regina asked quietly as she politely pushed the shrink's hands away from the Sheriff and sunk down on her knees in front of her.

The former mayor's nerves quickly hit her. Regina suddenly found herself having these new and unfamiliar feelings and she didn't quite know how to act. Her time with Audrey made her automatically want to reach out and console the blonde. Having Henry and Emma around the house more often made Regina instinctively want to act on these growing feelings.

But now was not the right time for acting on those feelings. Emma did not need the pressure right now.

For her part, Emma was still having trouble controlling her breathing. Not knowing if it was due to her doubts about her relationship with Audrey or her feelings for the former mayor, Emma lunged forward and wrapped Regina in an unexpected, bone-crushing hug.

Emma could hear nothing but her own beating heart and feel only the burning pain in her chest.

In the background, Archie had attempted to explain Emma's current state of distress to the two women. Most of it didn't make much sense to the Regina but Kathryn understood. She had been quietly observing the blonde ever since her arrival in town and had indeed noticed Emma's behavior towards the brunette.

The Sheriff was in love with the Mayor.

Now, all Kathryn needed was to make sure that Emma didn't screw things up too much and if she didn't, then her friend's heart would be safe.


End file.
